Class Policies

Grading Policy

Homework (7 in total) 15%
Mid-term Exam 20%
Programming Projects
MP 1
 5%
MP 2
 10%
MP 3
 20%
Final Exam 30%

Homework and Project deadlines:

All homework is due in class on the specified Wednesday. Solutions will be handed out the following Friday in class. To allow for some scheduling freedom, homework will be accepted up to the time the solutions are published as long as you find a TA and hand them your homework in person. However, no homework will be accepted after the solutions are published. To be fair, no discussion of homework problems will be allowed on the newsgroup or during office hours between the due date and the publishing of the solutions. Homework must be handed in as a hard copy. We highly recommend that you print out your homework. This will make the graders' jobs easier and alleviate any problems with deciphering your handwriting. If you do decide to handwrite your homework, anything that is not legible will be marked wrong. Please note that we will not accept homework put in mailboxes or slid under doors.

Examinations:

No make-up exams will be given unless an acceptable reason is presented to the instructor or TAs at least one week before the examination date. Exams will be closed-book exams. No calculators or crib-sheets will be permitted.

Re-Grades:

Re-grade requests must be submitted in writing on a separate piece of paper within one week of being returned. Do not write on the original exam or homework. If you do, we will not regrade your HW or exam. We will not only look at the questions you requested to be regraded, but will also look at the entire HW or exam for any other regarding issues. If any grading errors are found, the grade will be changed to reflect these errors. Both positive and negative changes may be made.

Late Policy for MPs:

Late programming assignments will be penalized 2% per hour late.

Academic Honesty:

The course policy for academic honesty is based on Rule 33 of the Code of Policies and Regulations Applying to All Students, which states: "It is the responsibility of the student to refrain from infractions of academic integrity, from conduct that may lead to suspicion of such infractions, and from conduct that aids others in such infractions..."

We encourage you to discuss interpretations of problems and assignments with each other but we expect that you will construct and write up your own solutions to any assignment that you turn in for credit. The exception is projects explicitly stated to be performed in teams, for which you may collaborate with your team members as necessary provided that you name all team members on everything turned in.

Your work in this class must be your own. You may discuss, in broad terms, such things as strategies for completing machine problems. Be aware that, as a general rule, pseudo-code is not "broad terms." The programs and exams you hand in, however, must contain only your own work. Your program will be checked against other programs in the class for similarities. If you have any questions about this policy, please talk to the staff. In the past, we have caught students cheating by copying programs from other students without their knowledge. To avoid having your work copied without your knowledge, refrain from leaving source code prints lying around the lab, protect your files, don't give your passwords to anyone, and enter your passwords in a way that cannot be seen by others. Do not leave a login session active on an unattended workstation. Use xlock in the sparc lab if you must leave briefly, or use some similar measure (or log out!) in other labs; remember that it's a violation of the sparc lab policy (and probably the other lab policies) to leave your workstation unattended for any extended period of time. Report any suspicious behavior to the lab sitters or the TAs.

If students are found to have collaborated excessively or to have blatantly cheated (e.g., by copying or sharing answers during an examination), all involved will at a minimum receive grades of 0 for the first infraction. Further infractions will result in failure in the course and/or recommendation for dismissal from the university.

Class News Group:

You are required to check the class newsgroup (news.cs.uiuc.edu (note: news.uiuc.edu is no longer being used.)) regularly. It will include any important announcements.  It will also include answers to students' questions that you will likely find helpful.

Graduate Students:

Graduate students MAY take this course for four hours instead of three. (Undergraduates take this course for three hours credit.) Those taking the class for more credit are expected to do more work. In this case, the four hour students will do a term paper.